Classroom Recording Policy

Purpose:

The Macalester College Classroom Recording (MCCR) policy sets forth community expectations regarding the recording (whether audio, video, or streaming) of class lectures, discussions, office hours, and other course-related activity. As an academic community, we value the free exchange of ideas and the privacy of community members. We are also committed to providing appropriate accommodations to students who require recorded lectures as an academic adjustment for documented disabilities. The MCCR policy balances the legitimate uses of classroom recording, the intellectual property of the faculty, and the privacy of individual students and faculty.

Policy:

In compliance with Federal law, qualified students with disabilities may record classroom activities, as defined above, as a legitimate academic adjustment once verified by the Center for Disability Resources. Students with disabilities who wish to record classroom activity must obtain permission from that office, which will determine whether classroom recording is an appropriate and reasonable accommodation given the individual student’s documentation. The Center for Disability Resources will notify the Instructor, and prior to recording of any classroom activity, a recording agreement must be signed by the student and filed with the Center for Disability Resources. The recording agreement stipulates that such recordings are for personal academic use only, where personal academic use is restricted to the personal study use of the individual. The student may not share, replicate, or publish the recording, in whole or in part, or use the recording for any other purpose, without the written approval of the instructor. The recording must be destroyed or stored by the Center for Disability Resources at the end of the semester.

In cases where a student without a documented disability would like to record classroom activity, the request should be made directly to the Instructor, who will have the sole discretion to determine whether or not to allow the recording. If the Instructor allows the recording, prior to recording of any classroom activity, a recording agreement must be signed by the student and Instructor and filed, either electronically or in hard copy, with the Office of Academic Programs and Advising. The recording agreement stipulates that such recordings are for personal academic use only, where personal academic use is restricted to the personal study use of the individual. The student may not share, replicate, or publish the recording, in whole or in part, or use the recording for any other purpose, without the written approval of the instructor. The recording must be destroyed or stored by the Instructor at the end of the semester.

When proper approvals are obtained, students enrolled in courses where classroom activities may be recorded will be notified via email prior to the first recorded class session. The identity of a student covered by an accommodation should not be disclosed. Instructors have the authority to, either spontaneously or in advance, prohibit recording of portions of a class session that could contain discussion of personal student information.

Any student classroom recording is to be used only for the personal academic use of the individual student, where personal academic use is restricted to the personal study use of the individual. Macalester College prohibits sharing, distributing, or publishing classroom recordings in any manner.

Instructors may record their own class sessions, but must notify students via email in advance. The instructor may publicly disseminate the recording, but if the recording includes the spoken word, image, or other identifying characteristic of any students, then the instructor must secure the written consent of those students prior to any dissemination. The Instructor is responsible for ensuring that any use or sharing of any recording that includes student information is consistent with the written consents and not used or shared for any other purpose. The Instructor will retain the written consents so long as the recording is retained.

Any alleged violation by a student of the classroom recording policy shall be referred to the Assistant Dean of Academic Programs and Advising, who will investigate the situation and make a decision. Students found guilty of a violation are subject to sanctions up to and including suspension or dismissal. If suspended or dismissed, the suspension or dismissal may occur at any time during the semester and will result in the student being withdrawn from all classes and removed from the residence halls. The student remains responsible for all fees associated with the semester.

Students have the right to appeal the Assistant Dean’s decision. Appeals will be considered on the basis of: procedural errors that unfairly and/or materially affected the outcome of the case; an arbitrary decision; or new information that was not available at the time of the original decision.

Appeals must be written and sent to the Assistant Dean of Academic Programs and Advising within 30 days following the Assistant Dean’s decision. After ensuring the appeal includes all of the relevant facts pertinent to the decision, and articulates an appropriate rationale for appealing, the Assistant Dean will send the appeal to the Academic Standing Committee.

The Academic Standing Committee, minus the Assistant Dean, is the final body responsible for acting on the appeal. In most cases, the Committee will review the appeal based on the written record provided by the Assistant Dean. If the Committee finds no grounds for the appeal, the violation and sanction stand. The Committee’s decision will be final.

Resources for Faculty

Syllabus statement:

The Macalester College Classroom Recording (MCCR) policy sets forth community expectations regarding the recording (whether audio, video, or streaming) of class lectures, discussions, office hours, and other course-related activity. As an academic community, we value the free exchange of ideas and the privacy of community members. We are also committed to providing appropriate accommodations to students who require recorded lectures as an academic adjustment for documented disabilities. The MCCR policy balances the legitimate uses of classroom recording, the intellectual property of the faculty, and the privacy of individual students and faculty.  The entire policy can be found here, https://www.macalester.edu/academic-programs/academicpolicies/.

In short, the policy requires students to submit a completed Student Recording Agreement to the appropriate office (Center for Disability Resources for students with approved accommodations; Academic Programs and Advising for all others) prior to engaging in any type of recording.  The faculty member who signed the Recording Agreement (or is notified by Center for Disability Resources that recording will occur as an accommodation) is responsible for notifying the class that recording will be occurring.  The required Student Agreement Recording form is available here, https://www.macalester.edu/academic-programs/academicadvising/forms/.

Email template:

Subject:  notification of recording in our class

Body:  This email serves as notification that recording will be occurring in our class.  These recordings are for personal academic use only, where personal academic use is restricted to the personal study use by an individual. The recording will not be shared, replicated, or published, in whole or in part, or used for any other purpose.  The recording will be destroyed or stored by the appropriate office at the end of the semester.  You may contact me or the Assistant Dean of Academic Programs and Advising with any questions or concerns.